Zelenskyy: Putin must be stopped, not appeased, he does not want peace

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Western partners should focus on containing Russia rather than trying to appease Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, as he has no intention of ending the war voluntarily.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with the ВВС

Quote: "My opinion: they [Western partners] should stop the Russians, not try to please them, because they will lie anyway. They care only about themselves, and their own interests."

Details: Zelenskyy stressed that Putin does not want to end this war, but "doesn't want doesn't mean he will not" if sufficient pressure is brought to bear. He believes Putin has already started a third world war, while Ukraine is currently preventing it from escalating into a full-scale global conflict.

The president also rejected proposals involving territorial concessions in exchange for a temporary ceasefire. He explained that withdrawing from the remaining territories of Donetsk Oblast would lead to divisions within Ukrainian society and leave hundreds of thousands of people abandoned.

Zelenskyy emphasised that Ukraine expects long-term security guarantees from the US, which should be enshrined at Congress level rather than depend solely on the personal position of an individual president.

Background:

• A third round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US took place in Geneva on 17-18 February 2026, mediated by US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Ahead of the meeting, Trump said ahead of talks that Ukraine "better come to the table fast".
• Trump's administration is promoting a 28-point "peace plan" that includes an immediate ceasefire, the handover of the occupied territories of Donbas and Crimea to Russia, Ukraine's renunciation of NATO membership and limits on the size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

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